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Should ultralight backpacking enthusiasts learn about medicinal plants? Maybe. Backpackers shouldn't leave the first aid kit home, but it can be useful and interesting to know a few plant medicines too. If you are someday in a survival situation, or you just lost your first aid kit and have a terrible headache, wouldn't it be nice to find relief nearby?
Well, you can. There are many effective medicinal plants out there, but some can also be very dangerous, just like synthetic medicines can be. Here is a quick guide to a few safe plant medicines you can try.
Cover the bottom of a cup with shredded willow bark, and make tea with it. Allow it to steep for a few minutes before you drink it. Willow bark contains salicin, closely related to salacylic acid, which is used to make aspirin. You can also try chewing on a few balsam poplar buds, which also may have some salicin in them.
The sap from "blisters" on balsam firs is a strong antiseptic. Just pop the blisters on the trunks of young trees, and the sap will ooze out. Spread it over cuts and small wounds to prevent infection. It's very sticky, and it will be difficult to wash off, but at least it smells nice.
Crushed leaves of Saint John's Wort can be used as an antiseptic dressing. I put a wad of the mashed leaves on a nasty gash in my foot, bandaged it in place, and replaced it occasionally The cut healed faster than I've ever seen a cut heal. St. Johns Wort has not only anti-bacterial properties, but anti-viral and anti-fungal properties as well.
Tea made from the roots of blackberries, raspberries and their relatives can stop diarrhea. Fill the bottom of a cup with the cleaned and shredded roots and pour boiling water over them. Steep for five minutes before drinking.
I once used the twigs from an oak tree to stop diarrhea when I was backpacking in Mexico. Just make tea with a spoonful of the bark or chopped-up twigs. The tannins in oak can be hard on the kidneys, so drink just one cup of tea, or use oak only if you don't have other options.
To relieve the itch from insect bites, sunburn, or plant poisoning rashes, apply a poultice of jewelweed (Impatiens biflora). I've seen a poison ivy rash clear up overnight by using the juice from jewelweed. The juice is also said to work on sunburn as well as aloe vera.
While there are hundreds of plants that could be useful to hikers and backpackers, you don't need to become an expert to benefit from them. Why not just learn to identify and use a few of the most widespread and safest medicinal plants?
Visit the page "Medicine Plants" in my Wilderness Survival Guide for more on medicinal plants.
The Ultralight Backpacking Site | Medicinal Plants For Backpacking